LBJ and Grassroots Federalism: Congressman Bob Poage, Race, and Change in Texas

Abstract

The major achievement of Duke's book is its reiteration of how Johnson used federal funds and influence to convince states' rights advocates that there were times when federal, state, and local entities could coexist and cooperate in order to improve the lives of ordinary citizens. Johnson and Poage worked together on several projects that saved Waco from massive unemployment, floods, and uncontrollable poverty, yet Poage maintained his stance on civil rights regardless of the numbers of federal dollars that poured into his congressional district.

LBJ and Grassroots Federalism: Congressman Bob Poage, Race, and Change in Texas. By Robert Harold Duke. Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2014. Pp. [xvi], 248. $45.00, ISBN 978-1-62349-172-7.)

Lyndon B. Johnson and William Robert "Bob" Poage came of age at the same time but learned different values and philosophies that ultimately set them on opposite paths-one might even say paths on the right and wrong sides of history, respectively. Historian Robert Harold Duke takes readers on a lively and thorough journey through the lives of these two powerful Texans, from their upbringings to their final moments in federal politics. Duke argues that civil rights remained the sole issue separating the two men, who were from neighboring congressional districts. The author explains why Poage, who has been mostly forgotten by Texas historians despite his social politics, deserves recognition for his role in the development of Waco during his four decades in Congress. Duke rightfully and articulately resurrects Poage from the annals of forgotten congressmen, but Poage's anti-civil rights stance prevents the author from providing a full redemption for the Waco congressman. The major achievement of Duke's book is its reiteration of how Johnson used federal funds and influence to convince states' rights advocates that there were times when federal, state, and local entities could coexist and cooperate in order to improve the lives of ordinary citizens. Johnson and Poage worked together on several projects that saved Waco from massive unemployment, floods, and uncontrollable poverty, yet Poage maintained his stance on civil rights regardless of the numbers of federal dollars that poured into his congressional district.

To be clear, Duke is not a Poage apologist-he quite frequently calls out the congressman for his social positions-but Duke stresses that local politics mattered most when congressional elections occurred. Poage voted his conscience in Washington, D.C., and earned reelection, but his standing in Washington did not correlate with his popularity at home. While Johnson moved from the House to the Senate and ultimately into the White House, Poage became known as "Mr. Agriculture" for his chairmanship of agricultural committees and his overall support for the agricultural industry (p. 186). Suggesting that Poage languished in Congress is much too strong a characterization, but Duke argues that Poage's social politics kept him in a political purgatory-that is, he did not vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Johnson did not solicit Poage's support. John F. Kennedy and Johnson both passed over Poage for a cabinet position (likely secretary of agriculture, according to the author).

LBJ and Grassroots Federalism: Congressman Bob Poage, Race, and Change in Texas is a fantastic examination of the similarities and differences between two of the most powerful Texas politicians of the mid-twentieth century. Duke's use of many primary sources and other secondary works on Johnson, federalism, and Texas in general provides a contextual foundation for the book and brings characters to life who would otherwise just be names on the page. A minor flaw of the work, however, is that many rich stories, some as interesting as the main narrative, were relegated to the notes. Nevertheless, Duke's book provides an excellent reminder of Poage's achievements, and in the final analysis, Poage is resurrected as a stubborn but formidable figure in Texas politics. Poage supported federalism when positive nonracial effects could be foreseen. As Duke poignantly writes in his final sentence: "Making representative democracy function at die grassroots level required centralized authority-the quintessential irony of the American political culture" (p. 193).